Police are warning residents in Melbourne’s east about a phone scam which has seen some victims lose thousands of dollars.

The victims are being contacted by a person claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office who tells them a warrant has been issued for their arrest because of an outstanding debt.

They are then told to go to a post office and pay up using a Western Union wire transfer.

Box Hill police have received a significant number of complaints over the past few weeks and some victims have lost thousands of dollars.

The scam appears they are targeting people with limited English and the caller is often aggressive.

Police are urging relatives of elderly people in the Whitehorse area to make them aware of the scam.